Read The Highlander's Accidental Marriage (Marriage Mart Mayhem) for Free Online

warmth from his body where her arm rested felt comforting and disturbing at the same time. She’d strolled Hyde Park, London ballrooms, and the theater, too many times to count, with an arm linked together with a gentleman. Never had she been so entirely aware of a man. Or found such comforting warmth from his touch.
    It had always been easy to hold herself apart from her potential suitors, to remind herself of her intention to concentrate on her writing. She’d hoped to one day have the book she’d been working on actually published.
    She’d kept her writing a secret from her family, even her twin. This was something that belonged to her alone. As much as she loved her family, there were times when she’d felt the need to stand out. To not be just one of the Lacey girls, or one half of a set of twins. It had been important to have something of her very own.
    She had started with a journal when she was still in the schoolroom. Soon she began to make up stories in her head to lull herself to sleep at night. The next step, writing down those stories, ended with her penning the words “The End” and realizing she’d actually completed a book. A romance story about two people she’d conjured up from her imagination.
    It had been a heady feeling.
    Since her aspirations had come true, she had no interest in the professor as far as marriage was concerned, but he certainly had her thinking other things upon which an innocent miss should not be dwelling.
    Years ago, she and Sybil had snatched a book from her brother Drake’s room. Their older sisters had done the same thing; it seemed to be a rite of passage for the Lacey girls. The drawings in the book—with ladies and gentlemen in various, and truly awkward, positions—had made them giggle and blush. Why she was thinking of that book now and the scandalous images, as Braeden walked so close to her, certainly gave her pause.
    She must stop this fascination with the man. He had agreed to accompany her and Alice to Bedlay Castle, where he would leave them in Liam’s care and travel on to his home. Never to see her again.
    A dismal thought.
    Dismal because, she quickly assured herself, they were becoming friends. That was all. They had developed an easy friendship, and she would miss him when they parted, just like she had missed Lady Margaret when she’d left for her wedding.
    That was all. Truly.
    “My lady, the innkeeper has tea ready if you will follow me to the dining room.” Alice met them at the door and directed them to a small room off the common area. A fire burned brightly in the fireplace where a table with two place settings had been arranged. Sarah turned to her maid. “Have you eaten, Alice?”
    “Yes, my lady. I would like to take a walk for some exercise.”
    “Be sure to take one of the footmen with ye,” Braeden said as he held out the chair for Sarah.
    Sarah liked the way Braeden looked out for the women. He wasn’t treating them as if they were a bother. It said a lot about his character.
    Tea was not as good as at the last inn. Sarah pushed aside most of the food on her plate, but had two cups of tea, which satisfied her.
    “No wonder yer so tiny, lass. Ye eat no more than a bird.”
    “Not usually. In fact I have a very good appetite, even for a lady.” She grinned. “However I find the tea much better than the food.”
    “I’m afraid yer correct. ’Twas not the best, but ye need to keep up yer strength.”
    She raised her eyebrows. “Why? Do you intend to have me pull the carriage this afternoon?”
    Braeden threw back his head and shouted with laughter. “Ye do have a sense of humor, Sarah.”
    She jerked at his use of her name. It rolled off his tongue in that Scottish sort of way, softly, with a burr, making her stomach clench and her face heat. Goodness, she was about to make a fool of herself over a man she’d met only a few days ago. Why in heaven’s name did it have to be a man whose company she was forced to endure for the